A blanket wireless local area network (BWLAN) may be viewed as an evolution of the virtual local area network (LAN) concepts developed in the industry and aimed at addressing higher-end enterprise wireless LAN deployments. In both the “virtual cell” and “virtual port”, the stations are not aware of the specific access points (APs) that they are communicating with, since these APs appear as a single homogeneous network. Furthermore, as a consequence of network transparency, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) is also unaware of its own mobility throughout the network. Service transitioning between different APs is handled entirely within the network, the station is not aware that this has occurred.
Unlike many existing WLANs, the BWLAN has the ability to create effective sub-networks that are physically separated from each other in order to serve a single WTRU or a set of WTRUs. The BWLAN addresses the needs of networks requiring dense deployment of wireless network access points (NAPs) for applications such as high-reliability local area networks (LANs), (e.g., medical-grade LANs), home networks and urban wireless Internet access networks.
Support of dynamic network cellularization and mobility within such a BWLAN network presents a challenge. Furthermore, maintaining cell-clusters in the presence of WTRU mobility in a BWLAN has further complicated the matter.
A method and apparatus is desired for addressing these problems by providing a low-complexity implementation of cluster formation, maintenance and support of node mobility.